The present invention generally relates to a form for printing address information relating to mail handling for attachment to a mailpiece. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multi-part form for special service handling of mailpieces or for mailpieces requiring special services.
It is, of course, known to provide specialized postal processing and handling of particular mailpieces. Such special services include the preparation of certified mail, registered mail, insured mail, recorded delivery mail, return receipt for merchandise mail, C.O.D. and the like. The known procedure requires printing or writing of information on various slips of paper and attaching the slips to the outside of an envelope or other mailpiece. Often carbon paper is used to assist in making the attachments.
As an example, to prepare a certified mailpiece, the forms are supplied by the United States Postal Service to the customer. The customer must separately address and complete a certified mailing receipt, both faces of a return receipt card, an envelope or mailpiece in which the mail is to be mailed, and a request for return service on the face of the envelope. Then, the customer or the Postal Service must affix each of the completed parts to the envelope using glue, an adhesive, tape or the like.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,793 to Walz, a multiple-part mailer form assembly is shown in which the addressing of specialized postal handling may be accomplished by continuously fed impact-type printers. The parts are then separated from each other for affixing some parts to the outside to a standard window envelope which can be addressed by the insertion of one of the extra form layers.
This type of multiple-layer continuous assembly cannot be addressed or overprinted in the non-impact printers as commonly used or on less expensive impact-type printers having no means to adjust for strength of impact or thickness of multiple-layer forms. Furthermore, the address information printed on the intermediate or rear layers of such forms is often degraded or blurred to a less readable condition by the necessity of printing through the multiple layers. The degradation renders the use of bar codes unfeasible on the lower layers of the address inserts to be compatible with U.S. Postal Service sorting equipment which is now generally used. Further, the degradation renders unfeasible the use of high-density bar codes in other forms for automated identification of the return receipt postal card when returned to the sender as proof of delivery to the addressee.
Still further, the multiple-part mailer disclosed by Walz requires forms to be separately affixed to the outside of the envelope or other mailpiece by using glue, adhesive, tape, or the like. The form includes a significant amount of carrier, backing, carbon layer, peel-off or other materials which require handling and removal during use and subsequent discarding as waste after use. Further, chemical treatment of some of the layers of the form is also required during manufacturing of the form.
Still further, the mailer disclosed by Walz is not suitable for feeding through automatic non-impact printers and, therefore, the return address of the sender must be printed on the back of the return receipt card portion of the form by non-impact means, i.e. either hand-printing or labeling or offset printing during the manufacturing process. This avoids unwanted reverse printing on the face of the other layers. Also, the mailer of Walz does not disclose a means for noting the request for return receipt service, if desired, on the face of the envelope as required by postal regulations.
Further, the mailer disclosed by Walz does not provide a choice between special services on one form such that a user may decide to use one special service or another and thereby modify the form to effect delivery of a mailpiece by the special service desired.
Clearly, the current methods known for preparing mailpieces or shipping items for special services is tedious, complicated, and labor intensive, particularly for businesses and institutions in which items such as notifications, reminders, or valuable documents are commonly sent by specialized mail services. In many instances, the delivery of such mailpieces must be documented by recording of a U.S. Postal Service or other services return receipt when it arrives back to the sender. This task is also time consuming and has great potential for error when all of the identifying information from each return receipt card must be entered or recorded by hand.
A need, therefore, exists for an improved form for special service mail and shipping handling and a method for assembling a mailpiece or shipping item requiring special services.
The present invention provides a mailing assembly for shipping and handling an article requiring delivery by a special service. Further, the present invention provides a method for preparing an article for mailing or shipping by a special service.
To this end, in an embodiment of the present invention, a mailing assembly for shipping and handling an article requiring delivery by a special service is provided. The mailing assembly has a return postcard that has a first designator section indicative of a first special service. A second designator section is provided and adjacent the return postcard wherein the second adjacent section is indicative of a second special service.
In an embodiment, an anchor portion is adjacent the return postcard and removably attached thereto.
In an embodiment, a tear line is disposed between the return postcard and the anchor portion.
In an embodiment, the anchor portion has a backside and further wherein a backing layer is disposed on the backside of the anchor portion.
In an embodiment, the anchor portion has a backside and an adhesive is disposed on the backside of the anchor portion.
In an embodiment, an auxiliary label is laterally disposed from the return postcard.
In an embodiment, the second designator section is on a back side of the assembly.
In an embodiment, the first designator section identified certified mail and the second designator section identifies registered mail
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for preparing an article for delivery by a special service. The method comprises the steps of: providing a mailing assembly having a first return postcard section wherein the first return postcard includes a first designator section indicative of a first special service; providing a second designator section indicative of a second special service on the mailing assembly wherein the first special service is distinct from the second special service; providing an anchor portion removably attached to the return postcard wherein the anchor portion has a backing layer disposed on a backside of the anchor portion; and printing information on the first return postcard for delivery of the article by a special service.
In an embodiment, the backing layer is removed from the anchor portion and the first return postcard and anchor portion are adhesively affixed to the article.
In an embodiment, the second designator section is adhesively affixed to the first return postcard directly over the first designator section.
In an embodiment, an auxiliary label having a backing layer is provided. The auxiliary label is laterally disposed from the return postcard.
In an embodiment, the auxiliary label is affixed to the article.
In an embodiment, the auxiliary label is affixed to the return postcard.
In an embodiment, the auxiliary label is configured as a mailing receipt.
In an embodiment, tear lines positioned between adjoining edges of the first return postcard section and the anchor portion are provided. The return postcard is detached from the anchor portion.
In an embodiment, a second return postcard is provided having a third designator section on the assembly and further wherein the second return postcard has a second anchor portion removably attached thereto. A fourth designator section associated with the second return postcard is provided and information is printed on the second return postcard.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an assembly is provided for preparing an article for delivery by a special service. The assembly has a multilayer sheet wherein the sheet includes a first return postcard and a second return postcard wherein the first return postcard has a first designator section thereon wherein the first designator section is indicative of a first special service wherein the first return postcard has a second designator section associated therewith and further wherein the second designator section is indicative of a second special service wherein the second return postcard has a third designator thereon and further wherein the third designator is indicative of the first special service and further wherein the second postcard section has a fourth designator section associated therewith wherein the fourth designator is indicative of the second special service.
In an embodiment, a first anchor portion and a second anchor portion are removably attached to the first return postcard and a second postcard, respectively.
In an embodiment, the first special service identifies certified mail and the second special service identifies registered mail.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a label/form and a method for simplified assembly of a mailpiece or shipping item requiring special services.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form and a method for identifying the type of special service by removal of a portion of the label/form from a sheet and subsequent attachment to a mailpiece or shipping item.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form and a method for assembly of a mailpiece or shipping item requiring special services such that the label/form and the method can be quickly performed. A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form and a method for assembling a mailpiece or shipping item using the label/form without requiring additional means for securing the label/form to the mailpiece or shipping item.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form that simplifies identification of particular sections thereof for both machine readability and visible identification.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form for use on mailpieces or shipping items requiring special services that includes printing unique to the mailpiece or shipping item on only one side of the label/form.
And, another advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form for use on mailpieces or shipping items requiring special services which is sized to occupy only one-half of an 8xc2xd inch backing sheet wherein two such label/forms may be affixed to a single backing sheet.
A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a label/form for use on mailpieces or shipping items requiring special services which is sized so as to fit on a single side of a standard 4xe2x85x9 inch by 9xc2xd inch envelope for mailing purposes.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a mailing assembly and a method of preparing an article requiring delivery by a special service such that a user may choose between two special services and use the same form for either.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a mailing assembly and a method for preparing an article for delivery by a special service wherein forms are provided on an 8xc2xdxe2x80x3xc3x9711xe2x80x3 sheet to be easily fed through a printer.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a mailing assembly and a method for preparing an article requiring special services having auxiliary labels to aid in the delivery of the article by the special service.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and from the drawings.